Reel holder for barbed wire



Dec. 29, 1953 L. A. THERRIEN REEL HOLDER FOR BARBED WIRE Filed Aug. 22, 195G I, QM %N .W N U INVENTOR. L GU/J A. mE/PW/Em [TED ST ATENT OFFICE REEL HOLDER FOR BARBED WIRE Louis A. Therrien, Pittsford, Vt.

Application August 22, 1950, Serial No. 180,870 7 (Cl. 242-90) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in portable wire reel holders.

An object Of this invention is to provide a portable wire reel holder which is particularly adapted to unreel barbed wire and the like with speed and facility.

Another object of this invention is to provide a portable wire reel holder which is particularly adapted to unreel barbed wire in a manner effectively minimizing the possibility of the wire tearing or cutting the body and clothing of the user.

A further object of this invention is to provide a portable wire reel holder which is provided with means for preventing idle rotation of the reel carrying the barbed wire on the portable holder.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a portable wire reel holder for unreeling barbed wire which is relatively simple in structure and cheap to manufacture.

The above and still further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the aceompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a portable wire reel holder of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is anenlarged sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional view, with parts broken away; taken along the line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 66 of Figure 1; and

Figure '7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 7-1 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the several views to designate like parts, the portable wire reel holder of the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral l0, embodies a mobile frame It which includes an axle l2, wheels 23 and I4 rotatably journaled on each end of the axle l2 and adapted to traverse a ground surface, and an inverted, U-shaped frame 15 having the free ends of its legs l6 and I! secured to the rearward side of the axle l2 inwardly of the wheels l3 and I4. As clearly shown in Figure 7, the wheel I4 is held on the axle I2 by means of a pairof trans- 2 versely extending cotter pins I8 and 19 disposed on opposite sides of the hub 20 of the wheel i l and extending through the axle l2. The free end of the leg ll of the U-shaped frame member I5 is secured to the axle by means of a bolt-and nut assembly 2|.

Spaced on the same level above the wheels is and M are blocks 22 and 23 which are secured to the rearward sides of the legs It and H of the U-shaped frame i5. Since the structure and securement of the blocks 22 and 23 is the same, it will suffice to describe only one in detail. Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown the block 23 having one face abutting against the leg i? of the U-shaped frame i5 and secured thereto by means of a nut-and-bolt assembly 24. The exposed or outer face of the block 23 is provided with a shaft-receiving seat designated by the ref erence numeral 25. Abutting against the exposed face of the block '23 is an arm 2e which has one end pivotally supported on the bolt 24 for swinging movement into and out of bridging relation with respect to the shaft-receiving seat 25. The arm 20 can be fixedly secured in its position of bridging relation with respect to the shaft-en gaging seat 25 by means of a bolt 2? which extends transversely through the leg of the U- shaped frame member [5 and the block 23 and has its free threaded end projecting beyond the arm 26. Engaged about the bolt 2? is the nut 28 which is received within a bore provided in the exposed face of the block 23. Supported on the projecting end of the bolt 21 is a wing nut 29 which can be brought into and out of bearing engagement with the adjacent face of the arm 25. The arm 26 is provided with a slot 30, the bounding walls of which are engageable about the projecting end of the bolt 21 when the arm 25 is in its position of bridging relation with respect to the shaftreceiving seat 25. Accordingly, upon effecting the movement of the wing nut 29 along the threaded bolt 21 into bearing engagement with the arm 26, the latter can be fixedly secured in its position bridging the seat 25. The block 22 is similarly provided with a shaft-receiving seat, not shown, and a pivotally supported arm 30 is mounted in a manner similar to the arm 26 and provided with means 3! for securing the arm 30 in its position of bridging relation with respect to the adjacent one of the shaft-receiving seats.

Extending between the blocks 22 and 23 and having its opposed ends rotatably journaled in the shaft-receiving seats 25 is a shaft As clearly shown in Figure 1, the shaft 33 is provided with enlarged collars 34 and 35 contiguous to each of its ends preventing the transverse displacement of the shaft.

Carried by the shaft 33 intermediate the legs l6 and I? of the U-shaped frame member i is a reel supporting mandrel, generally designated by the reference numeral 35 for supporting a reel carrying barbed wire to be unreeled, the reel being'shown in phantom in Figure 1. The mandrel 35 comprises a pair of inwardly tapering sections 3'? and 33 arranged in end-to-end, spaced relation with respect to each other and detachably secured about the shaft 33. The non-confronting or outward ends of the sections are provided with enlarged annular shoulders 3i; and M5. The section 3! is secured to the shaft 33 by means of a transversely extending pin ti which extends through the section and the adjacent portions of the shaft 33. Extending transversely through the shaft as contiguous to the confronting end of the section 38 is a pin 43 which has each of its projecting ends received within an L-shaped slot id provided in the confronting end of the section 35. Circumposed about the shaft 33 between the confronting ends of the sections 3'! and 33 is a coil spring 45 which normally urges the section 33 away from the section "e'i to thereby firmly seat the projecting ends of the pin 54 in the innermost ends of the L-shaped slots d3.

Spaced above the reel-supporting mandrel 36 is a pair of drag elements ti and 48 fabricated of any suitable flexible material and adapted to engage the reel, shown in phantom, for retarding the latter to thereby prevent idle rotation of the reel with respect to the reel holder. As clearly shown in Figure 3, the drag element 4? is secured to the leg it of the U-shaped frame member l5 by means of a clamp 59 which has each of its free ends threaded and supporting nuts 5!! and 5 i. Accordingly, the drag elements 41 and '58 can be detachably secured along the length of the legs 56 and ll of the U-shaped frame member 5 for engagement with the reel.

Extending rearwardly from the U-shaped frame l5 above the drag elements 47 and 48 is a combined foot and handle 53. The foot 53 is U-shaped' and, as shown in Figure 5, is secured to the legs l6 and ll of the U-shaped frame member by means of a securing plate 54 and bolts 55 and E55 straddling the free ends of the foot 53, the adjacent one of the legs of the U-shaped frame l5 and the adjacent end of the securing plate 5d. The foot 53 may be utilized to support the U- shaped frame it at an angle relative to and upon the ground.

Intermediate the ends of the axle l2 and secured therebetween is an inverted U-shaped bracket 5? which has steel rollers 58 and 59 rotatably journaled on each of its legs. Rotatably journaled on the axle l2 intermediate the legs of the inverted U-shaped bracket 5? is another steel roller Bil which is supported for rotary movement about the axle I2. The rollers 58 and 5e and 6E) cooperate together to form a guide means for paying out the barbed wire carried on the reel,

In actual use, the arms 22 and 23 are swun outwardly to the position illustrated in broken lines in Figure 1. The shaft 33 and the reel mandrel 33 are then removed from supported position within the reel-receiving seats 25, whereupon the movable mandrel section 33 is urged inwardly against the tension of the spring toward the stationary mandrel section 3?. Upon effecting a slight rotation of the section 38, the projecting end of the pin 43 can be disengaged from the L- shaped slot as and the section 38 and the adjacent spacing collar 35 removed from the shaft 33. A wire-bearing reel to be unreeled is then circumposed about the shaft 33 until one end of the reel abuts against the enlarged annular abutment 39 of the section 3'5. The section 38 is then manually grasped and once again engaged in its supported position on the shaft 33, the spacing of the annular abutment ii] being selected with respect to the annular abutment 39 to firmly hold the reel therebetween. The spacer collar 35 is then circumposed about the shaft 33 and the entire assembly once again supported in the position illustrated in Figure 1 intermediate the legs It and l! of the U-shaped frame l5. The arms 26 and 30 are then manually grasped and brought into the position bridging the seats 25 provided in the blocks 22 and 23, whereupon the wing nuts 29 and 3! are engaged with the adjacent exposed faces of the arms 25 and 3E The drag elements 4? and 58 are then adjusted to engage the adjacent portions of the reel and the free end of the wire is inserted through the guide provided by the rollers 53, 5?: and 65. The portable wire reel holder is now ready to unreel barbed wire with speed and facility.

Although only one embodiment of the wire reel holder of the present invention has been described, it is readily apparent that numerous modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a wire reel holder, a frame having laterally spaced straight legs, a rotary shaft extending between the frame legs, means removably journaiing said shaft on the frame legs, a mandrel clrcumposed on said shaft between the frame legs, said mandrel comprising a fixed section and a rotatable and slidable removable section arranged in end to end relation, spring means compressed between the mandrel sections and urging the slidable section away from the fixed section, said removable section being removable from said shaft upon removing said shaft from the frame legs to V enable removal and replacement of a wire reel on the mandrel sections, means on said shaft engageable with the end of said removable mandrel section remote from said fixed mandrel section positioning said removable section toward the fixed section so as to compress said spring means, and pin and slot means acting between said shaft and the opposite end of the removable mandrel section and releasably connecting the removable mandrel section for rotation with said shaft.

2. In a wire reel holder, a support, a shaft journalled on said support, a wire reel supporting mandrel circumposed on said shaft, said mandrel comprising a fixed section secured to said shaft to rotate with said shaft and a removable section rotatable and slidable on said shaft and removable from an end of the shaft, said sections having facing inner ends, the inner end of the removable section having an L-shaped slot including a portion opening through the inner end of the removable section, a laterally projecting pin on said shaft between the sections, said removable section being movable along the shaft toward said fixed section to engage said pin in said portion of the L-shaped slot and rotatable relative to the shaft to engage said pin in another portion of the L-shaped slot whereby endwise movement of the removable section is precluded, and spring means compressed between the facing inner ends of the sections serving to urge the removable section in a direction away from the 5 fixed section so as to produce retaining frictional engagement of said pin with said other portion of the L -shaped slot.

3. In a wire reel holder, a support, a shaft journalled on said support, a wire reel supporting mandrel circumposed on said shaft, said mandrel comprising a fixed section secured to said shaft to rotate with said shaft and a removable section rotatable and slidable on said shaft and removable from an end of the shaft, said sections having facing inner ends, the inner end of the removable section having an L-shaped slot including a portion opening through the inner end of the removable section, a laterally projecting pin on shaft between the sections, said removable section being movable along the shaft toward said fixed section to engage said pin in said portion of the L-shaped slot and rotatable relative to the shaft to engage said pin in another portion of the L-shaped slot whereby endWise movement of the removable section is precluded, and spring means compressed between the facing inner ends of the sections serving to urge the removable section in a direction away from the fixed section so as to produce retaining fric- 2 tional engagement of said pin with said other portion of the L-shaped slot, said mandrel sec- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 388,383 Wilson Aug. 21, 1888 481,641 Schneider Aug. 30, 1892 501,822 Bryce July 18, 1893 507,124 Haynes Oct. 24, 1893 609,228 Clarke Aug. 16, 1898 15 639,818 Levett Dec. 26, 1899 675,562 Hug June 4, 1901 799,912 Masterson Sept. 19, 1905 884,974 Backes Apr. 14, 1908 1,201,434 Bohle Oct. 17, 1916 20 1,214,772 Fouts Feb. 6, 1917 2,029,953 Sutilef Feb. 4, 1936 2,116,243 Johnson May 3, 1938 2,453,979 Frontz Nov. 16, 1948 5 FOREIGN BATENTS Number Country, Date 60,296 Norway Jan. 16, 1939 

